In the spring of 1776, the Continental Congress had a hard decision to make.  The colonies had been under British rule and the battles were raging.  The Patriots were prepared to seperate from British authority, to declare their independence.  The Loyalist said no.  They saw the benefits to staying under British rule.  The Patriots saw the kings a a hard hearted pharaoh.  The American people were divided.

In May 1776, Massachusetts and Virginia voted for independence.

And yet, the Continental Congress delegates were still divided.

In June 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia formally proposed that Congress declare independence.

John Adams seconded the proposal.

Congress now had to vote on the proposal.  As the delegates from the middle colonies returned to their homes to discuss with their people, Thomas Jefferson began working on the draft for the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America…appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World…do…Publish and declare, that these United Colonies are…Free and Independent States…And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on teh Protection of divine Providence, we…pledge to each other our Lives, Our fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

On June 28, Maryland voted for independence.  New Jersey was sending delegates who would vote yes.

Pennsylvania and South Carolina voted no.

New York did not vote.

Delaware’s 2 delegates were split.

Delaware was the key state.

The 2 Delaware delegates at the convention were split, but there was a third delegate.  Caesar Rodney was at home in Delaware, sick with cancer.

A messenger was sent to get him for the vote in Philadelphia the next day.

Rodney hopped on his horse, gallopping furiously to cover the distance to Philadelphia as quickly as possible.  He rode through the cold rains and fierce winds.

He realized that his vote could make the difference.

He also realized that by taking a stand on this issue, he would destroy any hope he had for curing the cancer raging in his body.  The only doctore who could help him lived in London.

When he arrived in Philadelphia the next day, 2 people carried the exhausted man into the assembly hall.

“My people favor independence,” Rodney declared. “I agree with them.  I vote dor independence.”  Rodney slumped into a chair.

Eleven other colonies joined Jew Jersey and voed in favor of independence.  New York did not vote.

The 13 colonies had now become the United States of America.

Samuel Adams rose to his feet and announced, “We have put God back in His proper place.  He reigns in heaven.  May His Kingdom come.”

The date was July 4, 1776.

As we celebrate our nation’s birthday today, may we remember the cost of becoming a nation and honor the God who made us that nation.

Taken from The Light and the Glory for Children by Peter Marshall and David Manuel.

Several months ago the opportunity arose for Butterfly to sign up to go on a mission trip with her Sunday School class in church. It was going to be a week long trip where she would be able to do yard work, stock food pantry shelves, play with underprivileged kids, visit with the elderly in an assisted living facility…you get the idea.
And of course…my Butterfly jumped at the opportunity. (For the record, I think it may have had just as much to do with a trip sans parents as it did the chance to go on a missions trip!)
After some discussion and time to think about the fund raising aspect of her trip, we all decided that she should work and raise as much as she could. We believe that she would get so much more out of the trip by earning the money herself than by having it donated to her, and that with 4 months of time available, she could get close to her goal. Privately, we knew that anything that she didn’t raise, we would cover, but we wanted to see how close she could get.
And so…she set to work.
She made candy hearts to sell at Valentines Day.
She washed windows.
She cleaned out cabinets.
She scrubbed floors.
She made decorated clipboards and then sold them to friends and family.

My girl worked.

And by the beginning of May, she had earned all $300 dollars required to go on her missions trip.
And honestly, the fun for her began back then, at the beginning of May, in knowing that she had managed to raise that kind of money all by herself (and with the help of the wonderful friends and family who let her work for them and bought what she was selling. Thanks so much for encouraging and supporting Abby!)

It was so fun for her Daddy and I to get to see this side of Butterfly.  She was an entrepreneur!  There was nothing that she wouldn’t do.  Her mind has been (because it still is!) running constantly with other things that she could make and sell.  She has since learned to crochet and has made hair scrunchies, wash cloths, head bands, blankets…all to learn better how to crochet so that she could potentially sell more.

The girl’s gotten a taste of blood (or perhaps money!)

She left yesterday on her trip.  She was bounding and squealing – ready to leave.

I watched her load up in the van, excited to get going and I saw who she was becoming.  It is so easy sometimes to hold your kids in a box.  Keep them at a younger age.  To mire down in the everyday rather than standing back and watching in awe at who they are becoming.

I was given a gift yesterday to see who she is becoming and to fall in love with that girl.

My prayer for her is that in this, her first week away from us, that she will be swept away by her creator.  That she will come to know Him in a different way, and that she will love that.  I pray that she will adore the opportunity to serve other people, those less fortunate than herself, and that she will crave more of that.

I am praying that when she returns, she will see how blessed we are as a family, and that she will be thankful.  I know I am.

Will you join me in praying for her this week?

As long as I am posting some fun webcam opportunities, here is one more.

Africam is a website that links to live streaming wildlife cameras on game reserves in Africa.  We have enjoyed watching elephants, leopards, hippos, baboons, zebras and even lions.  My family gets so excited when we spot an animal.  As big zoo visitors, we always get excited about African animals, but to see them in the wild takes it to a whole new level.  Often when we watch during the day, it is night time in Africa, so we see many animals drinking, and hear them making their sounds.  Once the sun comes up in Africa, the animals are easier to see and more active.

On this site, there are also links to other cams, such as Osprey and Bald Eagle Nest.

You can’t beat this deal!!  Get your kids reading and jot down the books that they have read and then take them in to the bookstore to receive a free book.  My family looks forward to this every summer.  We love FREE and the fact that it is a book is a huge bonus.

BORDERS

This summer, kids age 12 and under can download this form and fill out the titles of 10 books that they’ve read, bring it in to Borders, and get a free book. Note: they do not have to purchase the 10 books at Borders.  The form must be brought in by 8/26/10.   The reader can choose from the following book list:

Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary
Miss Daisy is Crazy! by Dan Gutman
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
The River by Gary Paulsen
Kristy’s Great Idea by Ann M. Martin

BARNES AND NOBLE

Read 8 books and get free book from Barnes & Noble. Just download their reading passport to get started.  This runs between May 25 and Sept 7, 2010.  Once the books are read, take the passport to the store and pick out the book from a list divided by age.

Happy Reading!

With 3 readers of very different levels in our home, I have embarked upon a new project.

My sweet friend from college is also a homeschooling mom and she discovered a website that helps her with her little guy who struggles with dyslexia.

Accelerated Reader is a website where you can type in the books that you have and find out at what reading level they are.  This helps me to know what books are too easy, too hard or just right for each of my readers.  And the best part is…IT’S FREE!

I have divided all of my books into themes and had my sweet Butterfly sit down at the computer to input the titles and figure out what level each book is.  I have given each level a different color dot sticker and has been busy color coding every book we have.  The site doesn’t have information on ALL our books, but it does have most of them.

I love that I am getting our books more organized for my little readers, and while helping me, Butterfly is working on her typing skills and researching skill.  Double bonus!

Now I just have to figure out the best way to organize the books – by theme or by level…any suggestions?

We happened upon this website recently and have had the best time watching this wild mama (Molly) barn owl nesting on her eggs (and hatchlings).  In fact, last night we watched a baby hatch out of its egg and the daddy owl (McGee) bring a rat for the mama to eat.  This is an amazing live webcam allowing us access into the owl’s nest to see how they live, how they care for their young, how and what they eat, etc.  Two more eggs are scheduled to hatch over the next few days.  I would love to have the children experience that!!  Take a minute to watch.  You just might get addicted as well!

Live Owl Nest Box Cam

I received this in my facebook today and felt it was too good, too timely not to pass along.  From Finders-Keepers Educational Supply:

The anniversary of Patrick Henry’s famous speech could not come at a more appropriate time. As political lines are drawn and ideological fervor escalates, Americans are reexamining what liberty really means and which issues are worth contending over. Politicians are scrambling to save their own hides, and citizens are uniting to ferret out untrustworthy leadership. Regardless of our position on the political spectrum, recollection of Henry’s stirring appeal on the eve of revolution offers a much needed recalibration of our expectations of political leaders.

Our children have much to learn from great Americans such as Patrick Henry, so we are appealing to parents to take a few minutes to introduce him to your students if you’ve not already done so. Younger students may only be ready for a few basic facts, but older students can compare and contrast the political standards of the past with those of the present. To help start the conversation, we have created a brief study guide as well as a document featuring the text of the original speech. They can be downloaded or printed out at the following links:

STUDY GUIDE
SPEECH

Please feel free to pass this along to friends and family—especially those with children in public schools. Patrick Henry’s legacy has slowly been chiseled out of many school textbooks, and they may not have another opportunity to get to know this key figure in America’s history.

Feeling ambitious? Why not have your students stage a dramatic reenactment of the speech? You could even capture a video clip and post it here.

Speaking of clips, there are several audio renditions of this speech available at YouTube for those who prefer to listen. Here are a couple of examples:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W72tx_UW9TM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvJrSdr34co

We took a trip to our local nature museum today with a group of friends and had a wonderful time exploring different animals, chasing butterflies and enjoying the sunshine.

My favorite picture is the bottom left, where Ladybug is sitting completely still in the position for butterflies to land on her.  She was too funny, and very disappointed when none landed.

“I hate school.  I hate school. I hate school. I hate school. I hate school.”  Well.  I did ask for 5 sentences.  I guess I should have been more specific.

This was the journal entry one recent morning and I honestly felt as though I had been slapped in the face.

My 10 year old hated school and in her pre-adolescent mind, all she wanted was to sit in her bed, listen to Adventures in Odyssey and be able to read all. day. every. day.

I would love to say that I calmly sat her right down and had a heart to heart with this emotional child of mine.  I would love to say that I was full of encouragement and wisdom.

But I wasn’t.

I sent her to her room with a book and told her to stay on her bed.  In essence, I gave her exactly what she was wanting.  Way to let her with that battle!

But I honestly was so hurt by her written outburst that I wanted to sit down and cry.  Why was I letting this hormonal child get to me?  Because being a teacher is not just what I do.  In many ways it is who I am.  My mind runs constantly trying to make learning better, more interesting, more exciting, more fun for my little students.  When I am not busily teaching, cleaning, directing, folding, refereeing, entertaining, I am searching for ways to make their learning better.  When they accuse me of being on the computer too much, I want to scream.  It is because of them that I sit here and try to find more resources to make school fun.

I took it personally.

Hours passed.  I focused on finishing our tasks for the day with the others and let Butterfly have some space.

Later that afternoon we sat down for a talk.  School was structured…yet not structured enough. Too much work…yet too easy.  Too busy…yet too boring.

And I realized something.  I am not going to win.  And in striving to gain the approval of other people, I am not going to get the satisfaction that I long for.  I am not going to ever meet her standards.  And really, do I want to?

Because in trying to attain the unattainable, not only will I be frustrated and cause me to feel like a failure, but I am constantly living my life in front of my children. Do I want her to find her self-worth in what other people think of her?  Do I want her looking to others to tell her that she is good enough, pretty enough, smart enough…worthy?

And so, while I will take her thoughts and inputs on ways to make school better, I am learning a much bigger lesson.  My approval needs to come from God alone.

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10

My greatest desire as a mother, as a homeschooler, as a wife, as a woman is to be a servant of Christ. To serve him with my time, my desires, my efforts and my life.

And as long as I am seeking him and working to do His will, then I will have all the approval that I need.